Heel holding assembly for a safety ski binding

ABSTRACT

A safety ski binding wherein the heel holding assembly includes a holder which is pivoted with reference to the ski about a transverse horizontal axis when stepped on by the heel of a ski boot. The holder is overlapped by a pivotably mounted support for a retaining lever having a claw which normally engages one or more surfaces on a base which is secured to the ski to thereby hold the support in a locked position. The holder is also mounted on the base and supports a disengaging lever which is coupled to the base by a link and engages the retaining lever to prevent the latter&#39;&#39;s disengagement from the base while the holder pivots within a range of heel-retaining positions. A helical spring which operates between the support and the holder tends to resist the lifting of the heel when such heel is received in the holder. In the event of a fall, the holder is pivoted beyond a predetermined position and thereby enables the disengaging lever to permit or to cause disengagement of the retaining lever from the base. The two levers thereupon cooperate to automatically pivot the holder to a step-in position in response to expansion of the spring as soon as the claw of the retaining lever is disengaged from the base. The support can be pivoted with reference to the holder and base to permit intentional disengagement of the retaining lever.

Waited States Fascist [191 Suhner [451 Aug. 28, 1973 1 HEEL HOLDING ASSEMBLY FOR A SAFETY SKI BINDING [76] Inventor: Willy Suhner, Aarauerstrasse 38,

5200 Brugg, Switzerland [22] Filed: Aug. 3, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 168,555

Primary ExaminerBenjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-Robert R. Song An0rneyMichael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A safety ski binding wherein the heel holding assembly includes a holder which is pivoted with reference to the ski about a transverse horizontal axis when stepped on by the heel of a ski boot. The holder is overlapped by a pivotably mounted support for a retaining lever having a claw which normally engages one or more surfaces on a base which is secured to the ski to thereby hold the support in a locked position. The holder is also mounted on the base and supports a disengaging lever which is coupled to the base by a link and engages the retaining lever to prevent the latters disengagement from the base while the holder pivots within a range of heel-retaining positions. A helical spring which operates between the support and the holder tends to resist the lifting of the heel when such heel is received in the holder. In the event of a fall, the holder is pivoted beyond a predetermined position and thereby enables the disengaging lever to permit or to cause disengagement of the retaining lever from the base. The two levers thereupon cooperate to automatically pivot the holder to a step-in position in response to expansion of the spring as soon as the claw of the retaining lever is disengaged from the base. The support can be pivoted with reference to the holder and base to permit intentional disengagement of the retaining lever.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures l fi 5 Patented Aug. 28,1973

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Hum-f jun 0E4 Patented Aug. 28, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 3 K 1 l. 5 5

INVENTOR.

W407 SUIIVEL HEEL HOLDING ASSEMBLY FOR A SAFETY SKI BINDING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to safety ski bindings in general, and more particularly to improvements in socalled step-in heel holding assemblies of safety ski bindings wherein a pivotable holder can be stepped onto to assume one ofa number of retaining positions in which the heel of a ski boot is coupled to the ski with requisite freedom of movement but can be readily disengaged from the holder in the event of a fall.

In presently known safety ski bindings which embody a step-in heel holding assembly, involuntary lifting of the heel on a ski boot, as in the case of a forward fall, first tensions a spring which is thereby moved toward a dead-center position. As soon as the spring moves beyond such dead-center position, it is permitted to relax and thereby moves the heel holder to a convenient step-in position. A drawback of such assemblies is that the path of the force is so flat that, when the heel holder is stepped into, it normally remains in a position in which the spring is held close to the dead-center position, for example, when hard-trodden snow adheres to the underside of the heel. Therefore, the force which is required for tripping or opening of the heel holding assembly is very small, namely, much smaller than planned. As a result, the heel holding assembly is likely to be tripped and to thus release the heel under moderate load which can lead to dangerous falls.

For this reason, the industry has developed heel retaining assemblies in which the tripping point is sharply defined as in the case of a trigger on a gun to thus insure that the assembly locks fully or unlocks fully with the maximum certainty and cannot become stuck in an intermediate position. Such types of heel holding assemblies exhibit the drawback that, after-tripping, the holder for the heel of a ski boot does not automatically reassume an optimum step-in position. The customary spring which is used in such assemblies is tensioned during lifting of the heel and, after tripping, the spring is either permitted to relax or remains in the tensioned condition without, however, being able to control further movements of the heel holder so that the latter normally dwells in a position other than the optimum step-in position. In the event of a fall, the ski boot is likely to drag the heel holder close to the step-in position. However, since a fall normally results in the generation of many unforeseen forces which are likely to act on the heel holder during and/or subsequent to a fall, there is no guarantee that the heel holder will return to its step-in position. Consequently, the user must use one or both hands in order to move the heel holder to the step-in position or at least to verify that the heel holder dwells in such position prior to renewed attachment to the heel of a ski boot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved safety ski binding, and more particularly a novel and improved heel holding assembly which can be stepped into with a ski boot to properly engage and retain the heel and which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the heel holder invariably and automatically assumes an optimum step-in position when it is disengaged from the heel of a ski boot.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heel holding assembly which can be tripped in response to the application of a predetermined force so that the likelihood of accidental release of the heel of a ski boot is eliminated and which can 'be rapidly and conveniently opened at the will of the user and in response to the application of a relatively small force.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel holding assembly which is of compact design, which comprises a relatively small number of simple and rugged parts, and which can be used in safety ski bindings for advanced skiers as well as for beginners.

The invention is embodied in a safety ski binding and more particularly in a step-in heel holding assembly of a safety ski binding. The heel holding assembly comprises a base or frame which can be mounted on a ski (either directly or on a plate which is secured to the ski), a heel holder having means for receiving and retaining the heel of a ski boot and mounted on the base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is normal to the longitudinal direction of the ski, such pivotal movement involving the movement between a step-in position and a range of heel-retaining positions, a preferably U-shaped support or case which is pivotably mounted on the base (preferaly on a coupling member which is pivotable about the axis for the holder and defines a second pivot axis for the support (the second axis is preferably parallel to the axis for the holder), a retaining member which is preferably a two-armed lever and is pivotably mounted in or on the support to engage the base and to thus maintain the support in a locked position in which the support allows the holder to move within the range of retaining positions as well as beyond such range in response to the application of a predetermined force which tends to forcibly pivot the holder toward its step-in position, biasing means operating between the support and the holder to urge the latter in a direction away from the step-in position when the support dwells in the locked position, and disengaging means mounted in part on the base and in part of the holder so as to share the movements of the holder about its axis and to simultaneously move relative to the holder to thereby disengage the retaining means from the base in response to forcible movement of the holder (as in the case of a fall) beyond the range of retaining positions in a direction toward the step-in position. The biasing means is then free to dissipate energy and causes the disengaging means and the retaining means to cooperate with each other in such a way that the support, which leaves its locked position under the action of the biasing means, causes the holder to automatically advance toward and to come to rest in the step-in position in response to dissipation of energy by the biasing means.

The disengaging means may comprise a two-armed lever which is pivotable on the holder and is articulately connected to the base by a link or the like. One arm of the disengaging lever abuts against one arm of the retaining lever and such arms are provided with first and second surfaces defining a pair of meeting edges. In the locked position of the support, the first surface of the retaining lever engages the first surface of the disengaging lever. When the holder is moved beyond the range of its retaining positions, the two edges move past each other and the second surface of the retaining lever then bears against the second surface of the disengaging lever so that the latter is caused to move the holder to the step-in holder to the step-in position in response to pivotal movement of the support and retaining lever while the biasing means dissipates energy.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved heel holding assembly itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal vertical sectional view of a heel holding assembly which embodies one form of the invention, the support for the retaining means being shown in its locked position and the heel holder being shown in an extreme heel holding or retaining position;

FIG. 2 is a similar sectional view but showing the heel holder in an intermediate position which it assumes upon disengagement of the retaining means from the base;

FIG. 3 is a similar sectional view but showing the support in fully open position and the heel holder in the step-in position; 4

FIG. 4 is a similar sectional view but showing the support in a position which it assumes in response to intentional disengagement of the retaining means from the base;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view of a portion of a second heel holding assembly which is provided with means for facilitating intentional unlocking of the support; and

FIG. 6 is a partial top plan view and partial horizontal sectional view of a third heel holding assembly wherein the support is held against accidental unlocking.-

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a portion of a safety ski binding, and more particularly that assembly of a safety ski binding which serves to releasably engage and hold the heel on the boot of-a skier. The illustrated heel holding assembly comprises a base or frame 1 which is assumed to be secured to a ski (not shown) and includestwo upwardly extending parallel side walls or cheeks 2 which are located in vertical planes and extend in the longitudinal direction of the ski. Instead of being directly secured to the ski, the base 1 can be fixed to a plate (not shown) which is mounted on the ski.

The assembly further comprises a heel holder 4 which has an upper portion or dog 6 and a lower portion or spur 7. The space between the portions 6,7 can accommodate the heel of a ski boot. The holder 4 is pivotable on a horizontal shaft 3 which is mounted in the cheeks 2 and extends transversely of the longitudinal direction of the ski. FIG. 1 illustrates the holder 4 in its lower end position which is the lowermost position of a range of retaining positions including all such positions which the holder 4 can assume between the extreme position of FIG. 1 and the intermediate position of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows the holder 4 in a so-called step-in position in which the holder is ready to be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction by a ski boot whose heel is inserted between the dog 6 and the spur 7. The user steps onto the spur 7 and applies thereto a downwardly oriented force which causes the holder 1 to pivot from the step-in position of FIG. 3 to one of the aforementioned range of retaining positions.

The assembly further comprises a support or case 8 which is of inverted U-shaped cross-sectional outline and is pivotable on a second shaft 9 parallel to and located behind the shaft 3. The shaft 9 is mounted in a coupling member or link 5 which is pivotable on the shaft 3. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the support 8 in a locked position in which the support cannot pivot in a clockwise direction because it is held in such position by the retaining portion or claw 15 of a retaining lever 14. The latter is mounted on a horizontal pivot pin 13 which is provided on the support 8. An arm 14a of the retaining lever 14 extends upwardly and has two mutually inclined surfaces 17,24 meeting along an edge 23.

Retainers or abutments l0 and 11 on the holder 4 and support 8 respectively engage and hold the lowermost and uppermost convolutions of a strong helical compression spring 12 which serves as a means for biasing the holder 4 away from the step-in position of FIG. 3 when the claw 15 of the retaining lever 14 maintains the support 8 in the locked position of FIG. 1 or 2. The claw 15 then engages the surfaces 16 on the cheeks 2 of the base 1.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the assembly further comprises a disengaging device which includes a link 21 pivotally mounted on one of the cheeks 2, as at 2111, and a two-armed disengaging lever 19 which is pivotable on a horizontal pin 20 of the holder 4 and is pivotally connected with the link 21, as at 21b. The link 21 insures that the lever 19 is compelled to pivot on the pin 20 while it moves with the holder 4 about the axis of the shaft 3. The left-hand arm of the lever 19 has two mutually inclined surfaces 18,25 which meet along an edge 22. The surface 18 abuts against the surface 17 of the retaining lever 14 when the claw 15 engages the surfaces 16 of the cheeks 2; the edges 22,23 abut against each other when the holder 4 is forcibly moved to the uppermost position of the range of retaining positions; and the surfaces 24,25 abut against each other when the holder 4 is pivoted clockwise beyond the range of its retaining positions.

The support 8 is provided with a pivotally mounted entraining member 26 having at its lower end a projection which extends into an elongated slot 27 of the holder 4. The entraining member 26 defines the step-in position of the holder 4; its projection then engages the surface at the upper end of the slot 27 in the holder 4.

If desired, the binding of FIGS. 1 to 4 can be provided with two disengaging means (i.e., two levers 19 and two links 21), with two retaining levers 14, and with two coupling members 5 (see FIG. 6).

The cheeks 2 of the base 1 are provided with suitably configurated cam faces 28 for the claw 15 of the retaining lever 14. Furthermore, the cheeks 2 define two cams 30 which can be engaged by a suitably configurated follower surface 29 on the arm 14a of the retaining lever 14 to cause the lever 14 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, so as to move the claw 15 into engagement with the surfaces 16 when the holder 4 is caused to pivot counterclockwise beyond the position shown in FIG. 2 and the surface 29 slides along the cams 30.

The operation:

It is assumed that the heel of a ski boot (not shown) is received between the portions 6,7 of the holder 4 while the latter dwells in the position shown in FIG. 1. The heel holding assembly is then operative and the spring 12 permits the holder 4 to pivot within the range of retaining positions while the claw engages the surfaces 16 of the cheeks 2 to maintain the support 8 in the locked position. In the event of a fall, the heel of the ski boot forcibly moves the holder 4 in a clockwise direction beyond the range of retaining positions and causes the spring 12 to store additional energy. At the same time, the surface 18 of the disengaging lever 19 slides with reference to the surface 17 of the arm 140 on the retaining lever 14 because the pin is mounted on the holder 4 and shares its pivotal movements about the axis of the shaft 3. At the same time, the lever 19 is compelled to pivot about the axis of the pin 20 (i.e., with reference to the holder 4) because it is articulately connected to the base 1 by the link 21. The arrangement is such that the surface 18 of the disengaging lever 19 slides off the surface 17 on the arm 14a in response to a predetermined clockwise movement of the holder 4 from the position shown in FIG. 1. The reac' tive force at the claw 15 tends to pivot the retaining lever 14 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1; however, such clockwise pivotal movement of the lever 14 is normally prevented by the surface 18 on the lefthand arm of the disengaging lever 19 because such surface bears against the surface 17 on the arm 14a. As the heel of a ski boot exerts an upwardly oriented force against the underside of the dog 6, the holder 4 pivots clockwise and, in addition to stressing the spring 12, also causes the lever 19 to pivot in a clockwise direction so that the surface 18 slides along the surface 17. In the event of a fall, the force acting on the dog 6 suffices to move the surface 18 off the surface 17 so that the edge 22 meets the edge 23. The arm 14a of the retaining lever 14 is then free to slip under the left-hand arm of the lever 19 and to pivot in a clockwise direction so that the claw 15 isabruptly disengaged from the surfaces 16 of the checks 2. Such position of the retaining lever 14 is shown in FIG. 2. Y

The support 8 exhibits the tendency to shoot upward to the fully open or unlocked position of FIG. 3 as soon as the claw 15 is disengaged from the surfaces 16. However, rapid clockwise pivotal movement of the support 8 is prevented by the levers 14,19 because the surface 24 of the arm 14a then abuts against the surface on the left-hand arm of the disengaging lever 19. The expanding spring 12 dissipates energy and pivots the support 8 in a clockwise'direction whereby the claw 15 slides along the cam faces 28 and maintains the surface 24 in abutment with the surface 25. Thus, the arm 14a pivots the disengaging lever 19 in a clockwise direction about the axis of the pin 20 and, since the pin 20 is mounted on the holder 4, the latter is also caused to pivot in a clockwise direction and to move toward the step-in position of FIG. 3. It will be seen that, when the spring 12 is free to dissipate energy in response to disengagement of the claw 15 from the surfaces 16 of the checks 2, the levers 14 and 19 cooperate to pivot the holder 4 clockwise in response to clockwise pivotal movement of the support 8 from the locked position shown in FIG. 1 to the fully open position of FIG. 3. The distance between the abutments 10,11 increases while the holder 4 pivots in a clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 2 to the step-in position of FIG. 3 because the pivotal movement of support 8 exceeds the pivotal movement of holder 4. The holder 4 is arrested in the step-in position of FIG. 3 when the projection of the entraining member 26 on the support 8 reaches the upper end of the slot 27 in the holder 4. The effective length of the left-hand arm of the disengaging lever 19 exceeds the effective length of its right-hand arm (which is coupled to the link 21 by the pin 21b). Therefore, the distance which is covered by the surfaces 24,25 during expansion of the spring 12 exceeds the distance which is covered by the pin 20; this explains the fact that the distance between the abutments 10,11 increases while the holder 4 moves from the intermediate position of FIG. 2 to the step-in position of FIG. 3. As the holder 4 moves upwardly, the disengaging lever 19 tends to pivot the retaining lever 14 in a counterclockwise direction with a steadily increasing force; however, such counterclockwise pivotal movement of the retaining lever 14 is prevented by the claw 15 which slides along the cam faces 28 of the cheeks 2.

If the skier thereupon steps onto the spur 7 of the holder 4 while the latter dwells in the step-in position of FIG. 3, the holder 4 pivots in a counterclockwise direction and causes the left-hand arm of the disengaging lever 19 to press against the surface 24 of the retaining lever 14. Therefore, the support 8 is compelled to pivot in a counterclockwise direction and to move its abutment l1 nearer to the abutment 10 so that the spring 12 stores energy. When the parts 4 and 8 reach the intermediate positions shown in- FIG. 2, the claw 15 can be returned into engagement with the surfaces 16 of the cheeks 2 in two different ways. The mode of reengaging the claw 15 with the base 1 depends on the angle which the tangents to the surfaces 24 and 25 form at the points where they intersect the straight line connecting the axes of the pins 13 and 20, and on the magnitude of friction between the surfaces 24 and 25. In

accordance with a first contemplated mode of reengagement between the claw 15 and surfaces 16, the surface 24 will slide over the surface 25 until the claw 15 engages the surfaces 16. The disengaging lever 19 is tripped instantaneously so that the holder 4 moves to its lower end position shown in FIG. 1 under the action of the spring 12 which is free to relax. In such case, the return movement of support 8 to the locked position takes place in the same angular position of the holder 2 (FIG. 2) as does the unlocking as a result-of a fall.

In accordance with a second mode of reengaging the claw 15 with the surfaces 16, the friction which prevails between the surfaces 24 and 25 at first prevents any counterclockwise pivoting of the retaining lever 14. Only when the holder 4 is forcibly pivoted all the way to and beyond the position of FIG. 2, the follower surface 29 of the lever 14 engages the cams 30 on the cheeks 2 and these cams cause the lever 14 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction so that the claw 15 engages the surfaces 16. In such case, locking of the support 8 takes place while the holder 4 assumes a position in which its spur 7 is nearer to the ski than during unlocking.

The coupling member 5 serves to permit intentional unlocking of the support 8 by the skier. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the projection of the entraining member 26 extends into the uppermost portion of the slot 27 in the holder 4 in both end positions of the support 8. This is due to the fact that the spring 12 is free to relax and to maintain the abutments 10,11 at a distance which exceeds the distance between the abutments 10,11 in FIG. 2. As a result, a retaining momentacts on the sup port 8 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, and such moment is transmitted by the shaft 9 to the coupling member 5. A similar action (bias in a counterclockwise direction) is applied against the coupling member 5 by a torsion spring 31 which is convoluted around the shaft 9 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). A projection 32 of the coupling member 5 then bears against the internal surface of the median part or web of the support 8 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The axis of the shaft 9 is then located at a level above a plane which includes the axes of the shaft 3 and pin 13, at least when the support 8 dwells in the locked position of FIG. 1.

If the skier wishes to release the heel of the ski boot which is engaged by the holder 4, a downwardly oriented pressure must be applied to the support 8 behind the abutment l1 (i.e., to the right of the abutment 11, as viewed in FIGS. 1 to 4). Such pressure can be applied by hand or by the tip of a ski pole (not shown) and causes the coupling member 5 to. pivot in a clockwise direction toward the position shown in FIG. 4. During such pivoting of the coupling member 5, the retaining member 14 pivots in a clockwise direction be cause its pivot pin 13 is shifted in a direction to the left and the claw 15 is disengaged from the surfaces 16 of the cheeks 2. The spring 12 then expands and causes the holder 4 to pivot in a clockwise direction so as to release the heel of the ski boot. Such pivotal movement of the holder 4 can also be caused by continuing the application of a force to the support 8 beind the shaft 3 (i.e., to the right of the shaft 3, as viewed in FIGS. 1 to 4). When the application of force to the support 8 is terminated, the holder 4 dwells in the position of FIG. 3 and the spring 31 returns the coupling member 5 to the position of FIG. 3 in which the projection 32 bears against the internal surface of the support. During such intentional opening of the heel holding assembly, the spring 12 is compressed very little (due to pivoting of the coupling member 5 on the shaft 3) and is thereupon relaxed again, i.e., the force required for intentional opening of the assembly is much smaller than the force which must be exerted by the heel ofa ski boot in order to move the holder 4 from the position of FIG. 1 to the position of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion ofa modified heel holding assembly. The coupling member 5 is provided with a catch 33 a portion of which is exposed to the right of the shaft 9 and forms a socket or cup for reception of the tip of a ski pole which enables the skier to intentionally open the assembly by pivoting the coupling member 5 in a clockwise direction. The right-hand portion of the catch 33 is accessible by way of a cutout or opening in the web of the support 8. The extra leverage furnished by the catch 33 contributes to a further reduction in the magnitude of the force which is needed to intentionally open the binding.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further embodiment of the heel holding assembly. This assembly is designed in such a way that it cannot be opened in response to application of accidental pressure on the support 8 (for example, by stepping on it with the other ski). The support 8 is slidable on the shaft 9 transversely of the ski, i.e., up and down, as viewed in FIG. 6. A leg 34 of the torsion spring 31 maintains the support 8 in such position that an extension 35 of the shaft 3 extends into an aperture 36 of the support 8. Thus, the rear or right-hand portion of the support 8 cannot be caused to pivot with reference to the shafts 3 and 9 in response to the application of accidental pressure. If the skier wishes to open the binding, the tip of a ski pole is pressed against a lateral lug 37 so as to exert on the support 8 a force having a component acting in an upward direction, as viewed in FIG. 6. This causes the aperture 36 to move away from the extension 35 of the shaft 35 and the support 8 is then free to pivot in response to the application of a force in a manner as described in connection with FIG. 4. The arrangement is preferably such that, when the tip of a ski pole is caused to bear against the lug 37 in a direction which is inclined with reference to a vertical plane, one component of the force applied by the ski pole will cause the support 8 to slide longitudinally of the shaft 3 so as to move the aperture 36 away from the extension 35 and another component of the same force thereupon pivots the support 8 about the axes of the shafts 3 and 9 so as to disengage the claw 15 of the retaining lever 14 from the surfaces 16 of the checks 2. If desired, the transverse displacement of the support 8 to move the aperture 36 away from the extension 35 can be effected by the provision ofajointed suspension of the coupling member 5 on the shafts 3 and 9 or by any other suitable means .which allows for sidewise movement of the support 8 in order to disengage it from the extension 35.

The improved binding is susceptible of many additional modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the base 1 can be provided with a single check 2, the retaining means may comprise one or more levers 14, the disengaging means may comprise one or more levers 19 and/or one or I more links 21. Furthermore, the coupling member 5 can be replaced with other suitable coupling means which enables the support 8 to move transversely of the shaft 3 for the holder 4. For example, the coupling member;5 can be replaced by one or more gears, by a pin-and-slot connection or the like.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. In a safety ski binding, a step-in heel holding assembly comprising a base adapted to be mounted on a ski; a holder having means for receiving and retaining the heel of a ski boot, said holder being mounted on said base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is normal to the longitudinal direction of the ski on which said base is mounted and said holder being movable about said axis between a step-in position and a range of heel-retaining positions; a support pivotally mounted on said base; retaining means pivotally mounted on said support and normally engaging said base to thereby maintain said support in a locked position in which said support remains while said holder moves within said range of positions; biasing means operating between said support and said holder to urge said holder away from said step-in position in the locked position of said support; and disengaging means for said retaining means, said disengaging means being movably supported by said base and by said holder so as to move with as well as relative to said holder and to thereby disengage said retaining means from said base in response to forcible movements of said holder beyond said range of positions in a direction toward said step-in position whereby said biasing means is free to dissipate energy, said disengaging means and said retaining means having cooperating portions arranged to move said holder to said step-in position in response to relative movement between said base and said support while said biasing means dissipates energy.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising coupling means articulately connecting said support to said base.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein said coupling means is pivotable about said horizontal axis and defined for said support a second pivot axis, said second pivot axis being parallel to said first mentioned axis.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said coupling means comprises a catch having a portion which is accessible to the tip of a ski pole to pivot said coupling means about said first mentioned axis and to thereby pivot said support about said second axis to thus disengage said retaining means from said base at the will of the user.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein said retaining means and said portion of said catch are located at the opposite sides of said second axis.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said support is movable in the direction of said first mentioned axis between a first position in which it is held against pivotal movement and a second position in which it is free to pivot upon disengagement of said retaining means from said base.

7. An assembly as defined in claim 6, further comprising a projection provided on said base, said support having an aperture which receives said projection in said first position of said support.

8. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for limiting the extent of relative movement between said holder and said support.

9. An assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein said last mentioned means comprises an entraining member provided on said support and having a portion extending with clearance into a slot provided therefor in said holder.

10. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising cam and follower means provided on said retaining means and said base to pivot said retaining portion intoengagement with said base in response to pivoting of said holder from said step-in position toward said range of retaining positions.

11. In a safety ski binding, a step-in heel holding assembly comprising a base adapted to be mounted on a ski; a holder having means for receiving and retaining the heel of a ski boot, said holder being mounted on said base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is normal to the longitudinal direction of the ski on which said base is mounted and said holder being movable about said horizontal axis between a step-in position and a range of heel-retaining positions a support pivotally mounted on said base; retaining means pivotally mounted on said support and normally engaging said base to thereby maintain said support in a locked position in which said support remains while said holder moves within said range of positions; biasing means operating between said support and said holder to urge said holder away from said step-in position in the locked position of said support; and disengaging means mounted on said base and said holder and arranged to share the movements of said holder and to simultaneously move relative to said holder to thus disengage said retaining means from said base in response to forcible movements of said holder beyond said range of positions in a direction toward said step-in position whereby said biasing means is free to dissipate energy, said disengaging means and said retaining means cooperating to move said holder to said step-in position in response to relative movement between said base and said support while said biasing means dissipates energy, said disengaging means comprising a first lever which is pivotably mounted on said holder and said and said retaining means comprising a second lever having a retaining portion which engages said base in the locked position of said support and an arm, said first lever having an arm which engages said arm of said second lever and pivots the latter to disengage said retaining portion from said base in response to said forcible movement of said holder beyond said range of retaining positions.

12. An assembly as defined inclaim 11, wherein said arms have first surfaces which abut against each other in the locked position of said support and second surfaces which abut against each other when said retaining portion is disengaged from said base.

13. An assembly as defined in claim 12, wherein said first and second surfaces of each of said arms meet along an edge and wherein said edges abut against each other when said retaining portion is disengaged from said base. 

1. In a safety ski binding, a step-in heel holding assembly comprising a base adapted to be mounted on a ski; a holder having means for receiving and retaining the heel of a ski boot, said holder being mounted on said base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is normal to the longitudinal direction of the ski on which said base is mounted and said holder being movable about said axis between a step-in position and a range of heel-retaining positions; a support pivotally mounted on said base; retaining means pivotally mounted on said support and normally engaging said base to thereby maintain said support in a locked position in which said support remains while said holder moves within said range of positions; biasing means operating between said support and said holder to urge said holder away from said step-in position in the locked position of said support; and disengaging means for said retaining means, said disengaging means being movably supported by said base and by said holder so as to move with as well as relative to said holder and to thereby disengage said retaining means from said base in response to forcible movements of said holder beyond said range of positions in a direction toward said step-in position whereby said biasing means is free to dissipate energy, said disengaging means and said retaining means having cooperating portions arranged to move said holder to said step-in position in response to relative movement between said base and said support while said biasing means dissipates energy.
 2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising coupling means articulately connecting said support to said base.
 3. An assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein said coupling means is pivotable about said horizontal axis and defined for said support a second pivot axis, said second pivot axis being parallel to said first mentioned axis.
 4. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said coupling means comprises a catch having a portion which is accessible to the tip of a ski pole to pivot said coupling means about said first mentioned axis and to thereby pivot said support about said second axis to thus disengage said retaining means from said base at the will of the user.
 5. An assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein said retaining means and said portion of said catch are located at the opposite sides of said second axis.
 6. An assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein said support is movable in the direction of said first mentioned axis between a first position in which it is held against pivotal movement and a second position in which it is free to pivot upon disengagement of said retaining means from said base.
 7. An assembly as defined in claim 6, further comprising a projection provided on said base, said support having an aperture which receives said projection in said first position of said support.
 8. An assembly as defined in claim 1, fUrther comprising means for limiting the extent of relative movement between said holder and said support.
 9. An assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein said last mentioned means comprises an entraining member provided on said support and having a portion extending with clearance into a slot provided therefor in said holder.
 10. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further comprising cam and follower means provided on said retaining means and said base to pivot said retaining portion into engagement with said base in response to pivoting of said holder from said step-in position toward said range of retaining positions.
 11. In a safety ski binding, a step-in heel holding assembly comprising a base adapted to be mounted on a ski; a holder having means for receiving and retaining the heel of a ski boot, said holder being mounted on said base for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is normal to the longitudinal direction of the ski on which said base is mounted and said holder being movable about said horizontal axis between a step-in position and a range of heel-retaining positions ; a support pivotally mounted on said base; retaining means pivotally mounted on said support and normally engaging said base to thereby maintain said support in a locked position in which said support remains while said holder moves within said range of positions; biasing means operating between said support and said holder to urge said holder away from said step-in position in the locked position of said support; and disengaging means mounted on said base and said holder and arranged to share the movements of said holder and to simultaneously move relative to said holder to thus disengage said retaining means from said base in response to forcible movements of said holder beyond said range of positions in a direction toward said step-in position whereby said biasing means is free to dissipate energy, said disengaging means and said retaining means cooperating to move said holder to said step-in position in response to relative movement between said base and said support while said biasing means dissipates energy, said disengaging means comprising a first lever which is pivotably mounted on said holder and said and said retaining means comprising a second lever having a retaining portion which engages said base in the locked position of said support and an arm, said first lever having an arm which engages said arm of said second lever and pivots the latter to disengage said retaining portion from said base in response to said forcible movement of said holder beyond said range of retaining positions.
 12. An assembly as defined in claim 11, wherein said arms have first surfaces which abut against each other in the locked position of said support and second surfaces which abut against each other when said retaining portion is disengaged from said base.
 13. An assembly as defined in claim 12, wherein said first and second surfaces of each of said arms meet along an edge and wherein said edges abut against each other when said retaining portion is disengaged from said base. 